This Week's Schedule
Wednesday: NSU at James Madison (DH), 4 p.m., Veterans Memorial Park
Friday: NSU at UMES (DH), 1 p.m., Hawks Field
Saturday: NSU at UMES, Noon, Hawks Field
Live Stats (JMU) | Live Video (JMU)

NORFOLK, Va. – After a week away from live game action, the Norfolk State softball team will finally get back on the field Wednesday for a doubleheader at James Madison. The Spartans will then play a three-game conference series at UMES on Friday and Saturday due to the Easter holiday.

Live stats and a live video feed will be available for the twinbill at James Madison's Veterans Memorial Park beginning at 4 p.m. on Wednesday. NSU and UMES get things going on Friday at 1 p.m. for a pair of games, followed by a single game Saturday at noon at Hawks Field.

NSU is coming off a sweep of North Carolina Central last Wednesday in Raleigh, N.C, 6-3, 7-1, that boosted the team's overall record to 12-15. The Spartans were set to play a three-game series at Howard last weekend before a last-minute cancellation gave the players the weekend off. A determination has yet to be made on the official results of the games, and NSU's conference record at the moment sits at 1-2.

The Dukes finished off a three-game sweep of UNC Wilmington on Sunday that ran their record to 15-20 overall this year. The Hawks remained winless on the season at 0-23 after getting swept by Coppin State over the weekend. UMES also carries a 0-6 MEAC mark into the contests on Friday.

James Madison has won eight of the 10 all-time meetings between the two teams, while NSU has a large 54-5 advantage in the all-time series with UMES.

Scouting the Spartans
Freshman Haley Ward paces the way for the Spartans with a team-leading .395 batting average, 16 runs and seven doubles to go along with 10 RBI. Freshman Alina Moriarty is hitting .360 with seven runs and 11 RBI, while senior Whitney Holland (.307, 10 runs, five doubles, three home runs, 12 RBI) and junior Gipsy Ramirez (.295, seven runs, five doubles, 10 RBI) help form the heart of the lineup for the Spartans.

Senior Danielle Wright and sophomore Morgan Boyd have each scored 12 runs on the season, with Wright hitting .254 with four doubles, a homer and seven RBI and Boyd sitting at .242 with a team-leading 10 stolen bases.

Freshman Liz Riley owns a 6-8 record with a 2.46 ERA in 88.1 innings pitched, while NSU's only other active pitcher, sophomore Jamie Schulle, has posted a 6-7 record and 3.43 ERA with 67 strikeouts in 94.0 innings.

Moving Up the Charts
Senior Danielle Wright has slowly moved up the all-time charts in several categories this year, and she now sits third in total bases (235), fourth in home runs (15), tied for fifth in doubles (25), sixth in at bats (473) and seventh in hits (147) in NSU annals.

James Madison
Carrying a misleading 15-20 record – thanks to a difficult early-season slate – the Dukes have four players hitting above .300, including top performer Morgan Heath. She leads the way with a .369 average to go along with 22 runs, four doubles, one home run and 11 RBI. Ashley Burnham provides plenty of power with 10 doubles, seven homers, 28 RBI and a .330 average.

Haley Johnson (.319, 19 RBI), Jasmine Butler (.304, 24 runs, 14 stolen bases) and Sarah Mooney (.259, three doubles, four home runs, 15 RBI) also provide offensive support for a pitching staff that carries a 3.37 ERA. Heather Kiefer owns a 5-3 record with a 2.12 ERA, while Mooney (5-8, 3.74 ERA) and Reba DePriest (3-7, 3.97 ERA) also have started at least 10 games this season.

UMES
Morgan King (.344), Jasmine James (.322) and Carmen Gurrola (.308) are each hitting above .300 for the Hawks, while King has a team-leading 17 RBI. Gurrola has scored 20 runs on the year with five doubles one triple, one home run and 12 RBI. Five of the team's nine regular starters are hitting below .215, though.

Gurrola has pitched all 131 innings on the season for UMES, posting a 9.48 ERA with 242 hits, 33 walks and 56 strikeouts. Opponents are hitting .367 against the Hawks this season.

Up Next
NSU will play another mid-week doubleheader against an in-state school on April 12 at Longwood beginning at 4:30 p.m.